Please Show Restraint: An Excessive Focus on Catastrophic Events Can Lead to Greater Psychological Trauma

Please Show Restraint: An Excessive Focus on Catastrophic Events Can Lead to Greater Psychological Trauma | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Please Show Restraint: An Excessive Focus on Catastrophic Events Can Lead to Greater Psychological Trauma Xuefang Huang, Qi Zhao, Zhensong Lan, Huaqiang Liu, Fafang Deng This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study explored the relationship between attention, negative emotions, empathy, mindfulness, and psychological trauma in catastrophic events to reduce the public’s psychological trauma. A total of 526 adults in Guangxi Province, China, were investigated using a self-rating scale for post-traumatic stress disorder, a self-rating emotion scale, a self-rating empathy scale, a five-factor self-rating mindfulness scale, and a catastrophic incident concern questionnaire. The results show that: (1) women are vulnerable to psychological trauma in catastrophic events (F [464]=0.681, p<0.05); (2) emotion has a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma; (3) empathy has a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma; and (4) mindfulness is conducive to buffering an individual’s negative emotions and also regulates the degree of psychological trauma in the public’s attention to catastrophic events. Therefore, people should be rational and restrained in the face of catastrophic events. psychological trauma catastrophic event emotional state empathy mindfulness chain meditation Figures Figure 1 Introduction A devastating aviation disaster occurred in Mengshan County, Guangxi Province, China, resulting in the death of 133 passengers. This aviation disaster brings pain to the deceased’s families and heavy sadness to the public’s psychology. After experiencing catastrophic events, excessive stress will disable people’s adaptive mechanisms, break the balance of the body, lead to human dysfunction, and quickly lead to psychological stress trauma, that is, psychological stress disorders (PTSD; Bremner et al., 2017 ). It is widely believed that only personal experience of a catastrophic event can cause psychological trauma. However, in the information age, new media has brought people closer to catastrophic events and victims off the screen, and harmful information overload may also increase the public’s emotional involvement (Watkins & Brown, 2002 ). Given our negative preferences with evolutionary advantages, when we receive huge amounts of media information, this preference makes us indulge in negative emotions (Deng, Liu, Rodriguez, & Xia, 2011 ). Notably, individuals with high empathy are more sensitive to the emotions of others (Watkins & Brown, 2002 ). Under the effect of empathy, successive bad news will gradually break through the defense line, and sadness, regret, pain, and powerlessness will directly hit our hearts and cause secondary psychological trauma. Mindfulness, a kind of positive consciousness, has gradually become the focus of attention. Mindfulness may be used to cut off the negative emotions caused by empathy in catastrophic events and to avoid secondary psychological trauma in people who are sensitive to catastrophic events. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to explore the influencing factors and mechanisms of public attention to catastrophic events on psychological trauma, including the positive effect of mindfulness on public awareness of psychological trauma. In particular, to prevent and intervene in avoiding and adjusting psychological trauma in coping with catastrophic events. Relationship between Attention, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma With information overload and excessive attention to catastrophic events, people lose their sense of security and control over the environment (Liu & Wu, 2020 ). Individuals who pay too much attention to the adverse cues of traumatic events and catastrophize their harmful effects have higher levels of depression (Jenness et al., 2016 ). Studies have shown that with the rapid change in the information dissemination mode, the impact of catastrophic events on the public far away from the scene is gradually increasing (Qi, 2022 ). The public’s emotions about the disaster depend to some extent on the form of the images they see, and the public’s emotions respond differently to different types of disaster information (Kaplan, 2008 ). Psychological trauma refers to a psychogenic mental disorder that occurs or is delayed after individual experiences or witnesses an unusual catastrophic threat, mainly manifested as repetitive experience symptoms, avoidance symptoms, negative cognitive and emotional change symptoms, and increased alertness symptoms (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Some scholars have found that the morbidity of public psychological trauma has increased after catastrophic events (Galea, Nandi, & Vlahov, 2005 ), and the lifetime prevalence rate is also high (Wang, 2017 ). There is a relationship between concerns about catastrophic events and public morbidity associated with psychological trauma. The public is susceptible to emotional connections after witnessing a traumatic event, which increases their vulnerability to traumatic stress symptoms (Regehr, Goldberg, & Hughes, 2002 ). Facts have proven that the role of trauma or disaster events in public is becoming increasingly prominent. Moreover, the different emotional responses of the public to disaster events play a particular role in regulating the symptoms of psychological trauma, such as positive and negative emotions, which control and enhance the shock response, respectively (Vrana, Spence, & Lang, 1988 ). Based on this, the following assumption is made (Hypothesis 1 [H1]): Attention to catastrophic events may lead to negative emotions and psychological trauma. Relationship between Attention, Empathy, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma Empathy is also a psychological process that makes a person’s feelings more in line with the situation of others than their own (Hoffman, 2001 ). Therefore, individuals with solid empathy may have a more robust emotional response to others’ pain. Eckland, Leyro, Mendes, and Thompson ( 2018 ) found that the higher the cognitive empathy level, the higher the emotional clarity of individuals under stress. As Watkins and Brown state, individuals with high empathy are more sensitive to the emotions of others (Watkins & Brown, 2002 ). Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed (Hypothesis 2 [H2]): Individuals with higher empathy are more likely to experience psychological trauma when paying attention to catastrophic events. Mindfulness, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma Mindfulness is the total acceptance of external and internal awareness of the present moment in a non-judgmental manner (Kabat-Zinn & Zinn, 2013 ). In recent years, many studies have found that mindfulness, as a therapeutic technique, has an excellent therapeutic effect on psychological trauma in clinical and non-clinical individuals (Jansen & Morris, 2017 ; Pigeon, Allen, Possemato, Bergen-Cico, & Treatman, 2015 ). In particular, they are vital in improving subjective well-being, regulating negative emotions, and improving depression and anxiety symptoms (Finlay-Jones, Kane, & Rees, 2017 ). Furthermore, some scholars have proposed an interactive relationship between emotional state and psychological trauma, and improving the emotional state positively affects the treatment of psychological trauma. Simultaneously, mindfulness can enhance individual emotional regulation (Xu, Liu, & An, 2019). Based on this, this study analyzed the relationship between mindfulness in attention, emotion, and psychological trauma to explore the introduction of mindfulness to reduce or regulate the psychological trauma caused by individual attention to catastrophic events. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed (Hypothesis 3 [H3]): Mindfulness helps buffer negative emotions, thereby moderating the psychological trauma of the public by focusing on catastrophic events. Methods Study Participants Within two weeks of the aviation disaster, 526 residents were randomly recruited online from five cities in the Guangxi Province. Before the questionnaire survey, the investigators informed the participants about the contents of the survey and obtained their consent. All participants were required to maintain their anonymity to protect their privacy. This study was reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Yibin University, China. After deleting waste papers, such as consistent responses and missing more answers, 466 valid questionnaires were obtained, with an effective rate of 88.59%. Among them were 150 men (32.2%) and 316 women (67.8%). The participants were mainly 18–27 years old, accounting for 67.4% of the participants. Measuring Instrument Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Self-rating Scale. The Chinese version of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Self-Rating Scale (The PTSD Checklist, PCL-C) was revised and tested (Shi et al., 2005 ). The scale comprises four factors, including recurrent responses to traumatic experiences, avoidance responses, social dysfunction responses, and increased vigilance responses, with 17 items and a five-point score. The higher the score, the higher the severity of the psychological trauma caused by the past period of attention to a catastrophic time. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale in this study was 0.97, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.96. Depression Anxiety Stress Scales. The simplified Chinese version of the self-rating emotional scale (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales) was revised by Gong Xu et al. (2010) and used (Gong, Xie, Xu, & Luo, 2010 ). The scale includes three factors—stress, anxiety, and depression; for 21 questions in the form of five-point scoring. The higher the score, the worse the participants’ emotional state in the past period. After confirmatory factor analysis, for the items whose common factor variances of A1, A2, and A3 were less than 0.50, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.96, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.97. Empathy Self-Rating Scale. Wu Jingji (1987) revised the Interpersonal Responsiveness Index based on the one compiled by Davis (1980). The scale comprises four factors, including fantasy empathy, empathy, empathy, and personal pain, with 28 items scored on a five-point scale. The higher the score, the higher the degree of empathy and consideration from the perspective of others. After confirmatory factor analysis, items whose common factor variances of B2, B5, B12, B20, B22, and B24 were less than 0.50 were deleted, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0. 69. Further, the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.89. Five-factor of Mindfulness Questionnaire. The five-factor mindfulness scale (Five Factors of Mindfulness Questionnaire) revised by Deng et al. ( 2011 ) was used. The scale comprises five factors: observation, description, conscious action, non-judgment, and non-action, with 28 items. It is scored on a five-point scale. The higher the score, the higher the degree of participants’ ability to “focus on the present and perceive what they are doing, and not criticize or evaluate the things around them.” After confirmatory factor analysis, the items whose common factor variances of C1, C11, C25, C26, and C33 were less than 0.50. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.61, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.93. Catastrophic Event Concern Self-Rating Questionnaire. An independent variable questionnaire was used to evaluate participants’ degree of attention, follow-up, and participation in catastrophic events. The questionnaire includes six items, including concern about recent catastrophic events, follow-up, participation in discussion, and evaluation of the degree of concern, and is scored by five points. The higher the score, the higher the concern regarding recent catastrophic events. After the reliability and validity tests, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.85, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.81, which showed that the questionnaire had high reliability and validity. Data analysis. SPSS Windows software version 25.0 was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analyses. Amos 23.0, SPSS 25.0, and its plug-in Process v3.5 (Hayes, 2018 ) were used to test reliability and validity. Results Descriptive Statistics Through an independent sample t-test analysis, it was found that there was a significant sex difference in the psychological trauma of the participants (F (464) = 0.681, p 0.05). Through further bivariate correlation analysis (see Table 1 ), it was found that psychological trauma was positively correlated with attention, emotion, empathy, and mindfulness (rs = 0.172–0.535, ps < 0.001), positively correlated with emotion and empathy (rs = 0.126–0.401, ps < 0.01), and negatively correlated with mindfulness (r=-0. 199, p < 0.001). Table 1 Descriptive statistics (N = 466) Variables M SD 1 2 3 4 5 1. Psychological Trauma 19.61 15.50 1 2. Attention 13.80 5.36 0.268*** 1 3. Emotional State 18.04 16.39 0.535*** 0.126** 1 4. Empathy 49.03 9.07 0.180*** 0.401*** 0.241*** 1 5. Mindfulness 59.92 9.61 0.172*** -0.199*** 0.366*** -0.001 1 Note. Statistically significant values are * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001. [Insert Table 1 here] Mediation Effect Test First, considering empathy and emotion as a single intermediary variable, attention as an independent variable, and psychological trauma as a dependent variable, models M1 and M2 were established. Table 2 shows the intermediary effect tests. Table 2 Intermediary effect test (N = 466) Assuming that path Estimate (std.) Lower Upper Effect size Hypothesis M1:Attention→Empathy→Psychological Trauma 0.046 0.0018 0.0932 17.36% Supported M2:Attention→Emotional State→ Psychological Trauma 0.064 0.0120 0.1233 24.15% Supported Attention→ Empathy→ Emotional State→ Psychological Trauma 0.047 0.0240 0.0730 17.60% Supported Note. Statistically significant values are * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001; Lower, lower confidence interval; Upper, upper confidence interval. [Insert Table 2 here] In Model M1, the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.265 (β = 0.045, t = 5.957, p < 0.001), the direct effect was 0.219 (β = 0.049, t = 4.511, p < 0.001), and the indirect effect was 0.046. The 95% confidence interval was [0.0018,0.0932] (excluding 0), indicating that empathy had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect size of 17.36%. In Model M2, the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.265 (β = 0.045, t = 5.957, p < 0.001), and the direct effect was 0.202 (β = 0.038, t = 5.274, p < 0.001), the indirect effect was 0.064, and the 95% confidence interval was [0.0120, 0.1233] (excluding 0), indicating that emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect of 24.15%. Therefore, too much attention to catastrophic events is more likely to lead to negative public emotions, which leads to psychological trauma, assuming that H1 is true. Individuals with strong empathy are more likely to experience psychological trauma, and H2 is also supported. Then, considering empathy and emotion as chain intermediary variables, attention as an independent variable, and psychological trauma as a dependent variable, Model M3 is established. The results (see Table 2 ) show that in the mediating path of “attention → empathy → emotion → psychological trauma,” the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.268 (β = 0.045, t = 5.983, p < 0.001), and the direct effect was 0.215 (β = 0.042, t = 5.151, p < 0.001). The indirect effect was 0.047 and the 95% confidence interval was [0.0240, 0.0730] (excluding 0), indicating that empathy and emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect size of 17.60%. Moderating Effect Test To test the moderating effect of different mindfulness levels on attention, empathy, emotion, and psychological trauma, Model 92 was used in the PROCESS plug-in (Hayes, 2018 ) to estimate the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect by sampling 5000 Bootstrap samples based on sex control. The results of this test show that different mindfulness levels have a multi path regulatory effect on attention, empathy, emotion and trauma.The test results are listed in Table 3 . Table 3 Regulation effect test (N = 466) The outcome variable (Empathy) The outcome variable (Emotional State) The outcome variable (Psychological Trauma) Predictor variable, β SE t β SE t β SE t Sex 0.174 0.042 4.160*** -0.067 0.042 -1.595 -0.094 0.039 -2.446* Attention 0.421 0.043 9.877*** 0.114 0.047 2.426* 0.214 0.043 4.999*** Mindfulness 0.077 0.044 1.743 0.374 0.044 8.437*** 0.003 0.045 0.065 Empathy 0.216 0.047 4.609*** 0.002 0.044 0.044 Emotional State 0.525 0.044 12.063*** Attention*Mindfulness 0.001 0.040 0.012 0.010 0.040 0.247 -0.001 0.038 -0.019 Empathy*Mindfulness 0.063 0.039 1.600 0.012 0.037 0.318 Emotional State*Mindfulness -0.128 0.041 -3.093** R 0.445 0.462 0.593 R² 0.198 0.214 0.352 F 28.405*** 20.784*** 31.019*** Note. Statistically significant values are * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, and *** p < 0.001. [Insert Table 3 here] Attention, empathy, and emotion were used as independent variables, psychological trauma as the dependent variable, and mindfulness as the moderator variable. The effect of mindfulness on attention and psychological trauma was − 0.001. The 95% confidence interval was [-0.0746, 0.0732] (including 0), indicating that the mediating effect of mindfulness on attention and psychological trauma was insignificant. The effect value of mindfulness between empathy and psychological trauma was 0.012, and the 95% confidence interval was [-0.0615, 0.0853] (including 0). This indicates that the moderating effect of mindfulness between empathy and psychological trauma was insignificant. The effect value of mindfulness between emotion and psychological trauma was − 0.128, and the 95% confidence interval was [-0.2090, -0.0466] (excluding 0), indicating that the regulatory effect of mindfulness on emotional and psychological trauma was significant. This study aimed to further verify the moderating effect of mindfulness on emotional and psychological trauma. Simple slope analysis showed that for participants with low mindfulness levels (M-1SD), the positive predictive effect of emotion on psychological trauma was stronger. For the participants with high mindfulness levels (M + 1SD) and middle levels (M), the positive predictive effect of emotional tendency on psychological trauma was weaker (see Fig. 1 ). The results showed that the predictive effect of emotional biases on psychological trauma decreased with an increase in mindfulness level. Therefore, we assumed that H1 is true. [Insert Fig. 1 here] Discussion Based on the perspectives of empathy and negative emotions, this study constructs a chain mediation model of the impact of catastrophic event attention on psychological trauma. As the primary mechanism of empathy, cognition and emotion make the public as observers produce personal pain matching with empathy ability when facing emotional situations (Guhn et al., 2020 ). Empathy also causes one to regard other people’s emotions as one’s own emotions in the process of experiencing other people’s actual or inferred emotional states, thus causing the accumulation of negative emotions(Dziobek et al., 2011 ). There is an interactive relationship between emotions and trauma, and people with more difficulty regulating emotions before trauma are particularly likely to develop PTSD or more severe symptoms (Bardeen, Kumpula, & Orcutt, 2013 ). Increased mood dysregulation may also be caused by trauma symptoms (Ehring & Quack, 2010 ). Consistent with the results of this study, empathy played a mediating role in attention and trauma, and emotion played a mediating role in empathy and trauma. Empathy and emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and trauma, empathy had a significant mediating effect between attention and trauma, and attention and emotion had a significant mediating effect between empathy and trauma. The path of “attention → empathy → emotion → trauma” was verified. Some scholars have found that trauma can affect empathy. Symptoms of post-traumatic numbness impair empathy, making it difficult for patients to experience intimacy and tenderness, leading to negative emotional and cognitive changes (Porto et al., 2009 ). The strong relationship between trauma, empathy, and emotion is clear, but causal evidence is lacking (Tull, Barrett, McMillan, & Roemer, 2007 ). Mindfulness played a low-level mediating role between emotion and trauma, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Finlay et al., 2017). Further verification showed that the relationship between emotion and trauma is partially mediated by mindfulness, and emotion can alleviate or reduce psychological trauma through the practice of mindfulness. Therefore, mindfulness plays an important mediating role in the relationship between emotional state and psychological trauma. Mindfulness has a significant positive effect on trauma, and individuals can learn effective ways to cope with pain through mindfulness. Holding one’s painful thoughts and feelings with balanced awareness, rather than over-identifying with or avoiding them, is an active mode of thinking that plays a positive role in trauma recovery (Neff, Hsieh, & Dejitterat, 2005 ). When exploring the mediating effect of mindfulness, it was found to have no mediating effect on attention, trauma, empathy, or trauma. However, mindfulness plays a mediating role between emotion and trauma, which means that mindfulness can only alleviate psychological trauma by regulating the intensity of negative emotions. Some scholars define “mindfulness” as maintaining a positive state of mind, which includes a present-oriented experience and a confident emotional attitude towards the object of attention (Shapiro et al., 2006 ). In this broad definition, mindfulness does not include cognitive changes but is an emotional regulation technique focusing on reducing physical stress and pain from the emotional state. Mindfulness improves tolerance of negative emotions through the interconnection of physical and psychological flexibility (Hinton, Pich, Hofmann, & Otto, 2013 ), reduces meditation, relieves anxiety, and reduces the incidence of psychological trauma. Alleviate trauma symptoms (Bennett & Wells, 2010 ). This may explain why mindfulness did not significantly regulate attention, empathy, and trauma in this study. Conclusion The conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) there are sex differences in the psychological trauma of the public caused by catastrophic events, and the psychological trauma of women is significantly higher than that of men; (2) too much attention to catastrophic events is more likely to make the public produce negative emotions, which will lead to psychological trauma; (3) individuals with more vital empathy are more likely to suffer from more serious negative emotions, and more likely to suffer from psychological trauma; (4) mindfulness is conducive to buffering individuals’ negative emotions, and can further regulate the degree of psychological trauma in the public’s attention to catastrophic events. Declarations Ethical approval and Consent to Participate This study and its research programs were approved by the Ethics Committee of Human Research Ethics Committee of Yibin University, China (2022-04-21-01Y). All methods were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the aforementioned ethics committee. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for Publication Not applicable. Availability of Data and Materials All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article. Competing Interests The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work. Authors Contributions HX and LH focused on the conception and design of the study; LZ, DF, and ZQ focused on the acquisition of data and drafting of the article; and LZ, HX and LH focused on the analysis and interpretation of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Funding This study was supported by the Basic Ability Improvement Project of Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Universities of the Education Department of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (No. 2021KY0604). Acknowledgements We thank all the participants who participated in the current study. Meanwhile, we would like to thank the members of the Academic Committee of Yibin University, China for their guidance and support for this study. References American Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM 5 diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. In DSM 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (pp. 947). Bardeen JR, Kumpula MJ, Orcutt HK. Emotion regulation difficulties as a prospective predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms following a mass shooting. J Anxiety Disord. 2013;27(2):188–96. 10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.01.003 . Bennett H, Wells A. Metacognition, memory disorganization and rumination in posttraumatic stress symptoms. J Anxiety Disord. 2010;24(3):318–25. 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.01.004 . Bremner JD, Mishra S, Campanella C, Shah M, Kasher N, Evans S, …, Carmody J. A pilot study of the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and brain response to traumatic reminders of combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2017;8:157. :/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00157 . Davis MH. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. J Personal Soc Psychol. 1983;44(1):113. 10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.113 . Deng YQ, Liu XH, Rodriguez MA, Xia CY. The five facet mindfulness questionnaire: psychometric properties of the Chinese version. Mindfulness. 2011;2(2):123–8. 10.1007/s12671-011-0050-9 . Dziobek I, Preißler S, Grozdanovic Z, Heuser I, Heekeren HR, Roepke S. Neuronal correlates of altered empathy and social cognition in borderline personality disorder. NeuroImage. 2011;57(2):539–48. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.05.005 . Eckland NS, Leyro TM, Mendes WB, Thompson RJ. A multi-method investigation of the association between emotional clarity and empathy. Emotion. 2018;18(5):638. 10.1037/emo0000377 . Ehring T, Quack D. Emotion regulation difficulties in trauma survivors: The role of trauma type and PTSD symptom severity. Behav Ther. 2010;41(4):587–98. 10.1016/j.beth.2010.04.004 . Finlay-Jones A, Kane R, Rees C. Self‐compassion online: A pilot study of an internet‐based self‐compassion cultivation program for psychology trainees. J Clin Psychol. 2017;73(7):797–816. 10.1002/jclp.22375 . Galea S, Nandi A, Vlahov D. The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27(1):78–91. 10.1093/epirev/mxi003 . Gong X, Xie XY, Xu R, Luo YJ. Test report of the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Inventory (DASS-21) in Chinese college students. Chin J Clin Psychol. 2010;4:443–6. 10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2010.04.020 . Guhn A, Merkel L, Hübner L, Dziobek I, Sterzer P, Köhler S. Understanding versus feeling the emotions of others: How persistent and recurrent depression affect empathy. J Psychiatr Res. 2020;130:120–7. 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.06.023 . Hayes AF. Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation. Communication Monogr. 2018;85(1):4–40. 10.1080/03637751.2017.1352100 . Hinton DE, Pich V, Hofmann SG, Otto MW. Acceptance and mindfulness techniques as applied to refugee and ethnic minority populations with PTSD: examples from “Culturally Adapted CBT. Cogn Behav Pract. 2013;20(1):33–46. 10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.09.001 . Hoffman ML. Toward a comprehensive empathy-based theory of prosocial moral development. In: Bohart AC, Stipek DJ, editors. Constructive & Destructive Behavior: Implications for Family, School, & Society. American Psychological Association; 2001. pp. 61–86. 10.1037/10433-003 . Jansen JE, Morris EM. Acceptance and commitment therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in early psychosis: A case series. Cogn Behav Pract. 2017;24(2):187–99. 10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.04.003 . Jenness JL, Jager-Hyman S, Heleniak C, Beck AT, Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Catastrophizing, rumination, and reappraisal prospectively predict adolescent PTSD symptom onset following a terrorist attack. Depress Anxiety. 2016;33(11):1039–47. 10.1002/da.22548 . Kabat-Zinn J, Zinn JK. (2013). Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. BettterListen! LLC . Kaplan EA. Global trauma and public feelings: Viewing images of catastrophe. Consum Markets Cult. 2008;11(1):3–24. 10.1080/10253860701799918 . Liu A, Wu X. (2020). Mechanism and intervention strategies of self-compassion on post-traumatic negative psychological response caused by epidemic. Journal of South China Normal University (Social Sciences Edition) ( 04 ),42–57 + 189. doi:CNKI:SUN: HNSB.0.2020-04-005. Neff KD, Hsieh YP, Dejitterat K. Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity. 2005;4(3):263–87. 10.1080/13576500444000317 . Pigeon W, Allen C, Possemato K, Bergen-Cico D, Treatman S. Feasibility and acceptability of a brief mindfulness program for veterans in primary care with posttraumatic stress disorder. Mindfulness. 2015;6(5):986–95. 10.1007/s12671-014-0340-0 . Porto PR, Oliveira L, Mari J, Volchan E, Figueira I, Ventura P. Does cognitive behavioral therapy change the brain? A systematic review of neuroimaging in anxiety disorders. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009;21(2):114–25. 10.1176/jnp.2009.21.2.114 . Qi Y. Social media public emotional infection and interactive participation in heavy rain events in Shanxi Province. Sci Technol Communication. 2022;02:63–6. 10.16607/j.cnki.1674-6708.2022.02.035 . Regehr C, Goldberg G, Hughes J. Exposure to human tragedy, empathy, and trauma in ambulance paramedics. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2002;72(4):505–13. 10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.505 . Shapiro SL, Carlson LE, Astin JA, Freedman B. Mechanisms of mindfulness. J Clin Psychol. 2006;62(3):373–86. 10.1002/jclp.20237 . Shi T, Jiang C, Jia S, Liu Q, Zhang J, Qi X. Evaluation scale for post-traumatic stress disorder in severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chin Clin Rehabilitation. 2005;40:44–7. doi:CNKI:SUN: XDKF.0.2005-40-022. Tull MT, Barrett HM, McMillan ES, Roemer L. A preliminary investigation of the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Behav Ther. 2007;38(3):303–13. 10.1016/j.beth.2006.10.001 . Vrana SR, Spence EL, Lang PJ. The startle probe response: A new measure of emotion? J Abnorm Psychol. 1988;97(4):487. 10.1037/0021-843X.97.4.487 . Watkins E, Brown RG. Rumination and executive function in depression: An experimental study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;72(3):400–2. 10.1136/jnnp.72.3.400 . Wang X. (2017). Under the emergency public psychological stress disorder factor influence mechanism and dynamics research (Doctoral Dissertation, Yanshan University). Retrieved from https://t.cnki.net/kcms/detail?v=qZb0LZ5 Mm-JPXOfZpUC4RVrsT85qwzM1y1_xrlic3BsXES2f95GeOhuvIbDB6MzBIyB0kC_gQnDYeJ1wzRZUxPBNBpWHwsOP6xAxiIOXdvEDWxo3Wq316fRWxZ_KwAQ4&uniplatform=NZKPT&language=CHS. Wu J, Zhan Z. (1987). The relationship between grade, gender role, human orientation and empathy (Master’s Thesis). Institute of Education, National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Xu W, Liu X, A Y. Research progress of mindfulness intervention in post-traumatic stress disorder. Chin J Clin Psychol. 2019;02:418–23. 10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2019.02.043 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-2482301","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":170283069,"identity":"edba2cfb-3626-46eb-9a16-928fdcde409d","order_by":0,"name":"Xuefang Huang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hechi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuefang","middleName":"","lastName":"Huang","suffix":""},{"id":170283073,"identity":"0ea96fb9-6d2e-4dcd-b57b-c9df01bd83e5","order_by":1,"name":"Qi Zhao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hechi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Qi","middleName":"","lastName":"Zhao","suffix":""},{"id":170283076,"identity":"340a82bc-f4ce-4cff-a7df-8c38e1f9c5ec","order_by":2,"name":"Zhensong Lan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hechi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhensong","middleName":"","lastName":"Lan","suffix":""},{"id":170283079,"identity":"7e7704c5-1baf-429a-8cd8-277ece88ec4e","order_by":3,"name":"Huaqiang Liu","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAApUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYNCCAzY8/PwNpGlJk5GccYA0LYdtDBoSiFQs395j+LjizHkeA4YDjB8+5hChxeDMGWPDMzdu85gzNzBLztxGjBaJ3G2SDR9u81g2HGBj5iVGi/wMsJZzPAYHEojUwnADpOXGARK0GJw5/9mw4Uwyj+SMg83E+UW+vS3xYcMxO3t+/uaDHz4S5TAEYGwgTf0oGAWjYBSMAtwAAJqvOSdLzIl2AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Huaqiang Liu, Yibin University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Huaqiang","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":170283082,"identity":"f799766f-cb27-4609-a37f-f6e8db3ca926","order_by":4,"name":"Fafang Deng","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Hechi University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fafang","middleName":"","lastName":"Deng","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2023-01-16 05:29:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":32121659,"identity":"d94ce971-e603-450b-abea-6bbebfc82064","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2023-01-27 14:58:58","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":6970,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eThe slope diagram of the moderation effect of mindfulness between attention and trauma.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"Onlinedrawingimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2482301/v1/c02c2967130bc1e4594d7684.png"},{"id":51239537,"identity":"a02d2cc1-9b83-4e5b-8bd6-5d8aa02dc143","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-02-16 17:17:08","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":394371,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-2482301/v1/6ef6f6fd-c736-475a-978d-6c996903d010.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Please Show Restraint: An Excessive Focus on Catastrophic Events Can Lead to Greater Psychological Trauma","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eA devastating aviation disaster occurred in Mengshan County, Guangxi Province, China, resulting in the death of 133 passengers. This aviation disaster brings pain to the deceased\u0026rsquo;s families and heavy sadness to the public\u0026rsquo;s psychology. After experiencing catastrophic events, excessive stress will disable people\u0026rsquo;s adaptive mechanisms, break the balance of the body, lead to human dysfunction, and quickly lead to psychological stress trauma, that is, psychological stress disorders (PTSD; Bremner et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). It is widely believed that only personal experience of a catastrophic event can cause psychological trauma. However, in the information age, new media has brought people closer to catastrophic events and victims off the screen, and harmful information overload may also increase the public\u0026rsquo;s emotional involvement (Watkins \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Given our negative preferences with evolutionary advantages, when we receive huge amounts of media information, this preference makes us indulge in negative emotions (Deng, Liu, Rodriguez, \u0026amp; Xia, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). Notably, individuals with high empathy are more sensitive to the emotions of others (Watkins \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Under the effect of empathy, successive bad news will gradually break through the defense line, and sadness, regret, pain, and powerlessness will directly hit our hearts and cause secondary psychological trauma. Mindfulness, a kind of positive consciousness, has gradually become the focus of attention. Mindfulness may be used to cut off the negative emotions caused by empathy in catastrophic events and to avoid secondary psychological trauma in people who are sensitive to catastrophic events. Therefore, it is of great theoretical and practical significance to explore the influencing factors and mechanisms of public attention to catastrophic events on psychological trauma, including the positive effect of mindfulness on public awareness of psychological trauma. In particular, to prevent and intervene in avoiding and adjusting psychological trauma in coping with catastrophic events.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec2\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRelationship between Attention, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWith information overload and excessive attention to catastrophic events, people lose their sense of security and control over the environment (Liu \u0026amp; Wu, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Individuals who pay too much attention to the adverse cues of traumatic events and catastrophize their harmful effects have higher levels of depression (Jenness et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Studies have shown that with the rapid change in the information dissemination mode, the impact of catastrophic events on the public far away from the scene is gradually increasing (Qi, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The public\u0026rsquo;s emotions about the disaster depend to some extent on the form of the images they see, and the public\u0026rsquo;s emotions respond differently to different types of disaster information (Kaplan, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2008\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePsychological trauma refers to a psychogenic mental disorder that occurs or is delayed after individual experiences or witnesses an unusual catastrophic threat, mainly manifested as repetitive experience symptoms, avoidance symptoms, negative cognitive and emotional change symptoms, and increased alertness symptoms (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013). Some scholars have found that the morbidity of public psychological trauma has increased after catastrophic events (Galea, Nandi, \u0026amp; Vlahov, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e), and the lifetime prevalence rate is also high (Wang, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). There is a relationship between concerns about catastrophic events and public morbidity associated with psychological trauma. The public is susceptible to emotional connections after witnessing a traumatic event, which increases their vulnerability to traumatic stress symptoms (Regehr, Goldberg, \u0026amp; Hughes, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Facts have proven that the role of trauma or disaster events in public is becoming increasingly prominent. Moreover, the different emotional responses of the public to disaster events play a particular role in regulating the symptoms of psychological trauma, such as positive and negative emotions, which control and enhance the shock response, respectively (Vrana, Spence, \u0026amp; Lang, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1988\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBased on this, the following assumption is made (Hypothesis 1 [H1]): Attention to catastrophic events may lead to negative emotions and psychological trauma.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eRelationship between Attention, Empathy, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmpathy is also a psychological process that makes a person\u0026rsquo;s feelings more in line with the situation of others than their own (Hoffman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2001\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, individuals with solid empathy may have a more robust emotional response to others\u0026rsquo; pain. Eckland, Leyro, Mendes, and Thompson (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) found that the higher the cognitive empathy level, the higher the emotional clarity of individuals under stress. As Watkins and Brown state, individuals with high empathy are more sensitive to the emotions of others (Watkins \u0026amp; Brown, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed (Hypothesis 2 [H2]): Individuals with higher empathy are more likely to experience psychological trauma when paying attention to catastrophic events.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMindfulness, Emotion, and Psychological Trauma\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness is the total acceptance of external and internal awareness of the present moment in a non-judgmental manner (Kabat-Zinn \u0026amp; Zinn, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). In recent years, many studies have found that mindfulness, as a therapeutic technique, has an excellent therapeutic effect on psychological trauma in clinical and non-clinical individuals (Jansen \u0026amp; Morris, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Pigeon, Allen, Possemato, Bergen-Cico, \u0026amp; Treatman, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e). In particular, they are vital in improving subjective well-being, regulating negative emotions, and improving depression and anxiety symptoms (Finlay-Jones, Kane, \u0026amp; Rees, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Furthermore, some scholars have proposed an interactive relationship between emotional state and psychological trauma, and improving the emotional state positively affects the treatment of psychological trauma. Simultaneously, mindfulness can enhance individual emotional regulation (Xu, Liu, \u0026amp; An, 2019). Based on this, this study analyzed the relationship between mindfulness in attention, emotion, and psychological trauma to explore the introduction of mindfulness to reduce or regulate the psychological trauma caused by individual attention to catastrophic events. Therefore, the following hypothesis is proposed (Hypothesis 3 [H3]): Mindfulness helps buffer negative emotions, thereby moderating the psychological trauma of the public by focusing on catastrophic events.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStudy Participants\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWithin two weeks of the aviation disaster, 526 residents were randomly recruited online from five cities in the Guangxi Province. Before the questionnaire survey, the investigators informed the participants about the contents of the survey and obtained their consent. All participants were required to maintain their anonymity to protect their privacy. This study was reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Yibin University, China.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter deleting waste papers, such as consistent responses and missing more answers, 466 valid questionnaires were obtained, with an effective rate of 88.59%. Among them were 150 men (32.2%) and 316 women (67.8%). The participants were mainly 18\u0026ndash;27 years old, accounting for 67.4% of the participants.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec7\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMeasuring Instrument\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003ePost-traumatic Stress Disorder Self-rating Scale.\u003c/b\u003e The Chinese version of the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Self-Rating Scale (The PTSD Checklist, PCL-C) was revised and tested (Shi et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e). The scale comprises four factors, including recurrent responses to traumatic experiences, avoidance responses, social dysfunction responses, and increased vigilance responses, with 17 items and a five-point score. The higher the score, the higher the severity of the psychological trauma caused by the past period of attention to a catastrophic time. Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of the scale in this study was 0.97, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.96.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eDepression Anxiety Stress Scales.\u003c/b\u003e The simplified Chinese version of the self-rating emotional scale (Depression Anxiety Stress Scales) was revised by Gong Xu et al. (2010) and used (Gong, Xie, Xu, \u0026amp; Luo, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). The scale includes three factors\u0026mdash;stress, anxiety, and depression; for 21 questions in the form of five-point scoring. The higher the score, the worse the participants\u0026rsquo; emotional state in the past period. After confirmatory factor analysis, for the items whose common factor variances of A1, A2, and A3 were less than 0.50, Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.96, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.97.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eEmpathy Self-Rating Scale.\u003c/b\u003e Wu Jingji (1987) revised the Interpersonal Responsiveness Index based on the one compiled by Davis (1980). The scale comprises four factors, including fantasy empathy, empathy, empathy, and personal pain, with 28 items scored on a five-point scale. The higher the score, the higher the degree of empathy and consideration from the perspective of others. After confirmatory factor analysis, items whose common factor variances of B2, B5, B12, B20, B22, and B24 were less than 0.50 were deleted, and Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0. 69. Further, the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.89.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eFive-factor of Mindfulness Questionnaire.\u003c/b\u003e The five-factor mindfulness scale (Five Factors of Mindfulness Questionnaire) revised by Deng et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e) was used. The scale comprises five factors: observation, description, conscious action, non-judgment, and non-action, with 28 items. It is scored on a five-point scale. The higher the score, the higher the degree of participants\u0026rsquo; ability to \u0026ldquo;focus on the present and perceive what they are doing, and not criticize or evaluate the things around them.\u0026rdquo; After confirmatory factor analysis, the items whose common factor variances of C1, C11, C25, C26, and C33 were less than 0.50. Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of the scale was 0.61, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.93.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eCatastrophic Event Concern Self-Rating Questionnaire.\u003c/b\u003e An independent variable questionnaire was used to evaluate participants\u0026rsquo; degree of attention, follow-up, and participation in catastrophic events. The questionnaire includes six items, including concern about recent catastrophic events, follow-up, participation in discussion, and evaluation of the degree of concern, and is scored by five points. The higher the score, the higher the concern regarding recent catastrophic events. After the reliability and validity tests, Cronbach\u0026rsquo;s alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.85, and the KMO and Bartlett test coefficients were 0.81, which showed that the questionnaire had high reliability and validity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cb\u003eData analysis.\u003c/b\u003e SPSS Windows software version 25.0 was used for descriptive statistics and correlation analyses. Amos 23.0, SPSS 25.0, and its plug-in Process v3.5 (Hayes, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) were used to test reliability and validity.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eDescriptive Statistics\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThrough an independent sample t-test analysis, it was found that there was a significant sex difference in the psychological trauma of the participants (F (464)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.681, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). However, there was no significant sex difference in the attention of the participants to catastrophic events (F [464]\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.225, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). Through further bivariate correlation analysis (see Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e), it was found that psychological trauma was positively correlated with attention, emotion, empathy, and mindfulness (rs\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.172\u0026ndash;0.535, ps\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), positively correlated with emotion and empathy (rs\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.126\u0026ndash;0.401, ps\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), and negatively correlated with mindfulness (r=-0. 199, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDescriptive statistics (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;466)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eVariables\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eM\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSD\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1. Psychological Trauma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e19.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2. Attention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.80\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.268***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3. Emotional State\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e18.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.39\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.535***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.126**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4. Empathy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.07\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.180***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.401***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.241***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5. Mindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e59.92\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.61\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.172***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.199***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.366***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote.\u003c/em\u003e Statistically significant values are * \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, ** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, and *** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Insert Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eMediation Effect Test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eFirst, considering empathy and emotion as a single intermediary variable, attention as an independent variable, and psychological trauma as a dependent variable, models M1 and M2 were established. Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e shows the intermediary effect tests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIntermediary effect test (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;466)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAssuming that path\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEstimate (std.)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLower\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eUpper\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEffect size\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eHypothesis\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM1:Attention\u0026rarr;Empathy\u0026rarr;Psychological Trauma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.046\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0018\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0932\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.36%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eM2:Attention\u0026rarr;Emotional State\u0026rarr; Psychological Trauma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.064\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0120\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.1233\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e24.15%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention\u0026rarr; Empathy\u0026rarr; Emotional State\u0026rarr; Psychological Trauma\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0240\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.0730\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.60%\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSupported\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"6\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote.\u003c/em\u003e Statistically significant values are * \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, ** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, and *** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001; Lower, lower confidence interval; Upper, upper confidence interval.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Insert Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Model M1, the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.265 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.045, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.957, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), the direct effect was 0.219 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.049, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;4.511, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), and the indirect effect was 0.046. The 95% confidence interval was [0.0018,0.0932] (excluding 0), indicating that empathy had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect size of 17.36%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn Model M2, the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.265 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.045, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.957, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), and the direct effect was 0.202 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.038, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.274, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), the indirect effect was 0.064, and the 95% confidence interval was [0.0120, 0.1233] (excluding 0), indicating that emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect of 24.15%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTherefore, too much attention to catastrophic events is more likely to lead to negative public emotions, which leads to psychological trauma, assuming that H1 is true. Individuals with strong empathy are more likely to experience psychological trauma, and H2 is also supported.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThen, considering empathy and emotion as chain intermediary variables, attention as an independent variable, and psychological trauma as a dependent variable, Model M3 is established. The results (see Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e) show that in the mediating path of \u0026ldquo;attention \u0026rarr; empathy \u0026rarr; emotion \u0026rarr; psychological trauma,\u0026rdquo; the total effect of attention on psychological trauma was 0.268 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.045, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.983, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001), and the direct effect was 0.215 (β\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;0.042, t\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;5.151, p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001). The indirect effect was 0.047 and the 95% confidence interval was [0.0240, 0.0730] (excluding 0), indicating that empathy and emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma, with an effect size of 17.60%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eModerating Effect Test\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eTo test the moderating effect of different mindfulness levels on attention, empathy, emotion, and psychological trauma, Model 92 was used in the PROCESS plug-in (Hayes, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2018\u003c/span\u003e) to estimate the 95% confidence interval of the mediating effect by sampling 5000 Bootstrap samples based on sex control. The results of this test show that different mindfulness levels have a multi path regulatory effect on attention, empathy, emotion and trauma.The test results are listed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eRegulation effect test (N\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;466)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"10\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c9\" colnum=\"9\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c10\" colnum=\"10\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c4\" namest=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe outcome variable (Empathy)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c7\" namest=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe outcome variable (Emotional State)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"3\" nameend=\"c10\" namest=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe outcome variable (Psychological Trauma)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePredictor variable,\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSE\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSE\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eβ\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSE\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003et\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSex\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.174\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.160***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.067\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.042\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-1.595\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.094\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-2.446*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.421\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.877***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.114\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.426*\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.214\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.043\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.999***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.077\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.743\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.374\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.437***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.003\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.045\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.065\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmpathy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.216\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.047\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.609***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.002\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmotional State\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.525\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.044\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.063***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention*Mindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.040\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.010\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.040\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.247\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.001\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.038\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.019\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmpathy*Mindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.063\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.039\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.600\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.012\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.037\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.318\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmotional State*Mindfulness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-0.128\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.041\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e-3.093**\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.445\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.462\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.593\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eR\u0026sup2;\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.198\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.214\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.352\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eF\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.405***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e20.784***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.019***\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c10\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"10\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eNote.\u003c/em\u003e Statistically significant values are * \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, ** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, and *** \u003cem\u003ep\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.001.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Insert Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAttention, empathy, and emotion were used as independent variables, psychological trauma as the dependent variable, and mindfulness as the moderator variable. The effect of mindfulness on attention and psychological trauma was \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.001. The 95% confidence interval was [-0.0746, 0.0732] (including 0), indicating that the mediating effect of mindfulness on attention and psychological trauma was insignificant. The effect value of mindfulness between empathy and psychological trauma was 0.012, and the 95% confidence interval was [-0.0615, 0.0853] (including 0). This indicates that the moderating effect of mindfulness between empathy and psychological trauma was insignificant. The effect value of mindfulness between emotion and psychological trauma was \u0026minus;\u0026thinsp;0.128, and the 95% confidence interval was [-0.2090, -0.0466] (excluding 0), indicating that the regulatory effect of mindfulness on emotional and psychological trauma was significant.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study aimed to further verify the moderating effect of mindfulness on emotional and psychological trauma. Simple slope analysis showed that for participants with low mindfulness levels (M-1SD), the positive predictive effect of emotion on psychological trauma was stronger. For the participants with high mindfulness levels (M\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;1SD) and middle levels (M), the positive predictive effect of emotional tendency on psychological trauma was weaker (see Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e). The results showed that the predictive effect of emotional biases on psychological trauma decreased with an increase in mindfulness level. Therefore, we assumed that H1 is true.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[Insert Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e here]\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eBased on the perspectives of empathy and negative emotions, this study constructs a chain mediation model of the impact of catastrophic event attention on psychological trauma.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs the primary mechanism of empathy, cognition and emotion make the public as observers produce personal pain matching with empathy ability when facing emotional situations (Guhn et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Empathy also causes one to regard other people\u0026rsquo;s emotions as one\u0026rsquo;s own emotions in the process of experiencing other people\u0026rsquo;s actual or inferred emotional states, thus causing the accumulation of negative emotions(Dziobek et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2011\u003c/span\u003e). There is an interactive relationship between emotions and trauma, and people with more difficulty regulating emotions before trauma are particularly likely to develop PTSD or more severe symptoms (Bardeen, Kumpula, \u0026amp; Orcutt, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e). Increased mood dysregulation may also be caused by trauma symptoms (Ehring \u0026amp; Quack, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). Consistent with the results of this study, empathy played a mediating role in attention and trauma, and emotion played a mediating role in empathy and trauma. Empathy and emotion had a significant mediating effect between attention and trauma, empathy had a significant mediating effect between attention and trauma, and attention and emotion had a significant mediating effect between empathy and trauma. The path of \u0026ldquo;attention \u0026rarr; empathy \u0026rarr; emotion \u0026rarr; trauma\u0026rdquo; was verified. Some scholars have found that trauma can affect empathy. Symptoms of post-traumatic numbness impair empathy, making it difficult for patients to experience intimacy and tenderness, leading to negative emotional and cognitive changes (Porto et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). The strong relationship between trauma, empathy, and emotion is clear, but causal evidence is lacking (Tull, Barrett, McMillan, \u0026amp; Roemer, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMindfulness played a low-level mediating role between emotion and trauma, which is consistent with the findings of previous studies (Finlay et al., 2017). Further verification showed that the relationship between emotion and trauma is partially mediated by mindfulness, and emotion can alleviate or reduce psychological trauma through the practice of mindfulness. Therefore, mindfulness plays an important mediating role in the relationship between emotional state and psychological trauma. Mindfulness has a significant positive effect on trauma, and individuals can learn effective ways to cope with pain through mindfulness. Holding one\u0026rsquo;s painful thoughts and feelings with balanced awareness, rather than over-identifying with or avoiding them, is an active mode of thinking that plays a positive role in trauma recovery (Neff, Hsieh, \u0026amp; Dejitterat, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen exploring the mediating effect of mindfulness, it was found to have no mediating effect on attention, trauma, empathy, or trauma. However, mindfulness plays a mediating role between emotion and trauma, which means that mindfulness can only alleviate psychological trauma by regulating the intensity of negative emotions. Some scholars define \u0026ldquo;mindfulness\u0026rdquo; as maintaining a positive state of mind, which includes a present-oriented experience and a confident emotional attitude towards the object of attention (Shapiro et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2006\u003c/span\u003e). In this broad definition, mindfulness does not include cognitive changes but is an emotional regulation technique focusing on reducing physical stress and pain from the emotional state. Mindfulness improves tolerance of negative emotions through the interconnection of physical and psychological flexibility (Hinton, Pich, Hofmann, \u0026amp; Otto, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e), reduces meditation, relieves anxiety, and reduces the incidence of psychological trauma. Alleviate trauma symptoms (Bennett \u0026amp; Wells, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). This may explain why mindfulness did not significantly regulate attention, empathy, and trauma in this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe conclusions of this study are as follows: (1) there are sex differences in the psychological trauma of the public caused by catastrophic events, and the psychological trauma of women is significantly higher than that of men; (2) too much attention to catastrophic events is more likely to make the public produce negative emotions, which will lead to psychological trauma; (3) individuals with more vital empathy are more likely to suffer from more serious negative emotions, and more likely to suffer from psychological trauma; (4) mindfulness is conducive to buffering individuals\u0026rsquo; negative emotions, and can further regulate the degree of psychological trauma in the public\u0026rsquo;s attention to catastrophic events.\u003c/p\u003e "},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval and Consent to Participate\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study and its\u0026nbsp;research\u0026nbsp;programs were approved by the Ethics Committee of Human Research Ethics Committee of Yibin University, China (2022-04-21-01Y). All methods were carried out in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the aforementioned ethics committee. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for Publication\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAvailability of Data and Materials\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCompeting Interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthors Contributions\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHX and LH focused on the conception and design of the study; LZ, DF, and ZQ focused on the acquisition of data and drafting of the article; and LZ, HX and LH \u0026nbsp;focused on the analysis and interpretation of data. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was supported by the Basic Ability Improvement Project of Young and Middle-aged Teachers in Universities of the Education Department of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China (No. 2021KY0604).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe thank all the participants who participated in the current study. Meanwhile, we would like to thank the members of the Academic Committee of Yibin University, China for their guidance and support for this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAmerican Psychiatric Association. (2013). DSM 5 diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. In \u003cem\u003eDSM 5 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders\u003c/em\u003e (pp.\u0026nbsp;947).\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBardeen JR, Kumpula MJ, Orcutt HK. Emotion regulation difficulties as a prospective predictor of posttraumatic stress symptoms following a mass shooting. J Anxiety Disord. 2013;27(2):188\u0026ndash;96. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.01.003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.janxdis.2013.01.003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBennett H, Wells A. Metacognition, memory disorganization and rumination in posttraumatic stress symptoms. J Anxiety Disord. 2010;24(3):318\u0026ndash;25. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.01.004\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.01.004\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBremner JD, Mishra S, Campanella C, Shah M, Kasher N, Evans S, \u0026hellip;, Carmody J. A pilot study of the effects of mindfulness-based stress reduction on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and brain response to traumatic reminders of combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Front Psychiatry. 2017;8:157. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e:/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00157\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\":/10.3389/fpsyt.2017.00157\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDavis MH. Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. J Personal Soc Psychol. 1983;44(1):113. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.113\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1037/0022-3514.44.1.113\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDeng YQ, Liu XH, Rodriguez MA, Xia CY. The five facet mindfulness questionnaire: psychometric properties of the Chinese version. Mindfulness. 2011;2(2):123\u0026ndash;8. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1007/s12671-011-0050-9\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/s12671-011-0050-9\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDziobek I, Prei\u0026szlig;ler S, Grozdanovic Z, Heuser I, Heekeren HR, Roepke S. Neuronal correlates of altered empathy and social cognition in borderline personality disorder. NeuroImage. 2011;57(2):539\u0026ndash;48. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.05.005\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.05.005\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEckland NS, Leyro TM, Mendes WB, Thompson RJ. A multi-method investigation of the association between emotional clarity and empathy. Emotion. 2018;18(5):638. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1037/emo0000377\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1037/emo0000377\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEhring T, Quack D. Emotion regulation difficulties in trauma survivors: The role of trauma type and PTSD symptom severity. Behav Ther. 2010;41(4):587\u0026ndash;98. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.beth.2010.04.004\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.beth.2010.04.004\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFinlay-Jones A, Kane R, Rees C. Self‐compassion online: A pilot study of an internet‐based self‐compassion cultivation program for psychology trainees. J Clin Psychol. 2017;73(7):797\u0026ndash;816. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1002/jclp.22375\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1002/jclp.22375\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGalea S, Nandi A, Vlahov D. The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiol Rev. 2005;27(1):78\u0026ndash;91. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1093/epirev/mxi003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1093/epirev/mxi003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGong X, Xie XY, Xu R, Luo YJ. Test report of the Depression-Anxiety-Stress Inventory (DASS-21) in Chinese college students. Chin J Clin Psychol. 2010;4:443\u0026ndash;6. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2010.04.020\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2010.04.020\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGuhn A, Merkel L, H\u0026uuml;bner L, Dziobek I, Sterzer P, K\u0026ouml;hler S. Understanding versus feeling the emotions of others: How persistent and recurrent depression affect empathy. J Psychiatr Res. 2020;130:120\u0026ndash;7. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.06.023\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.06.023\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHayes AF. Partial, conditional, and moderated moderated mediation: Quantification, inference, and interpretation. Communication Monogr. 2018;85(1):4\u0026ndash;40. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1080/03637751.2017.1352100\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/03637751.2017.1352100\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHinton DE, Pich V, Hofmann SG, Otto MW. Acceptance and mindfulness techniques as applied to refugee and ethnic minority populations with PTSD: examples from \u0026ldquo;Culturally Adapted CBT. Cogn Behav Pract. 2013;20(1):33\u0026ndash;46. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.09.001\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.cbpra.2011.09.001\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHoffman ML. Toward a comprehensive empathy-based theory of prosocial moral development. In: Bohart AC, Stipek DJ, editors. Constructive \u0026amp; Destructive Behavior: Implications for Family, School, \u0026amp; Society. American Psychological Association; 2001. pp. 61\u0026ndash;86. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1037/10433-003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1037/10433-003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJansen JE, Morris EM. Acceptance and commitment therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in early psychosis: A case series. Cogn Behav Pract. 2017;24(2):187\u0026ndash;99. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.04.003\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.cbpra.2016.04.003\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eJenness JL, Jager-Hyman S, Heleniak C, Beck AT, Sheridan MA, McLaughlin KA. Catastrophizing, rumination, and reappraisal prospectively predict adolescent PTSD symptom onset following a terrorist attack. Depress Anxiety. 2016;33(11):1039\u0026ndash;47. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1002/da.22548\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1002/da.22548\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKabat-Zinn J, Zinn JK. (2013). Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. \u003cem\u003eBettterListen! LLC\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKaplan EA. Global trauma and public feelings: Viewing images of catastrophe. Consum Markets Cult. 2008;11(1):3\u0026ndash;24. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1080/10253860701799918\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/10253860701799918\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLiu A, Wu X. (2020). Mechanism and intervention strategies of self-compassion on post-traumatic negative psychological response caused by epidemic. \u003cem\u003eJournal of South China Normal University\u003c/em\u003e (Social Sciences Edition) (\u003cem\u003e04\u003c/em\u003e),42\u0026ndash;57 + 189. doi:CNKI:SUN: HNSB.0.2020-04-005.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeff KD, Hsieh YP, Dejitterat K. Self-compassion, achievement goals, and coping with academic failure. Self and Identity. 2005;4(3):263\u0026ndash;87. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1080/13576500444000317\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1080/13576500444000317\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePigeon W, Allen C, Possemato K, Bergen-Cico D, Treatman S. Feasibility and acceptability of a brief mindfulness program for veterans in primary care with posttraumatic stress disorder. Mindfulness. 2015;6(5):986\u0026ndash;95. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1007/s12671-014-0340-0\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1007/s12671-014-0340-0\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePorto PR, Oliveira L, Mari J, Volchan E, Figueira I, Ventura P. Does cognitive behavioral therapy change the brain? A systematic review of neuroimaging in anxiety disorders. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2009;21(2):114\u0026ndash;25. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1176/jnp.2009.21.2.114\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1176/jnp.2009.21.2.114\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eQi Y. Social media public emotional infection and interactive participation in heavy rain events in Shanxi Province. Sci Technol Communication. 2022;02:63\u0026ndash;6. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.16607/j.cnki.1674-6708.2022.02.035\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.16607/j.cnki.1674-6708.2022.02.035\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eRegehr C, Goldberg G, Hughes J. Exposure to human tragedy, empathy, and trauma in ambulance paramedics. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2002;72(4):505\u0026ndash;13. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.505\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1037/0002-9432.72.4.505\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShapiro SL, Carlson LE, Astin JA, Freedman B. Mechanisms of mindfulness. J Clin Psychol. 2006;62(3):373\u0026ndash;86. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1002/jclp.20237\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1002/jclp.20237\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eShi T, Jiang C, Jia S, Liu Q, Zhang J, Qi X. Evaluation scale for post-traumatic stress disorder in severe acute respiratory syndrome. Chin Clin Rehabilitation. 2005;40:44\u0026ndash;7. doi:CNKI:SUN: XDKF.0.2005-40-022.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTull MT, Barrett HM, McMillan ES, Roemer L. A preliminary investigation of the relationship between emotion regulation difficulties and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Behav Ther. 2007;38(3):303\u0026ndash;13. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.beth.2006.10.001\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.beth.2006.10.001\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eVrana SR, Spence EL, Lang PJ. The startle probe response: A new measure of emotion? J Abnorm Psychol. 1988;97(4):487. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1037/0021-843X.97.4.487\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1037/0021-843X.97.4.487\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWatkins E, Brown RG. Rumination and executive function in depression: An experimental study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2002;72(3):400\u0026ndash;2. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1136/jnnp.72.3.400\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1136/jnnp.72.3.400\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWang X. (2017). \u003cem\u003eUnder the emergency public psychological stress disorder factor influence mechanism and dynamics research\u003c/em\u003e (Doctoral Dissertation, Yanshan University). Retrieved from \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003ehttps://t.cnki.net/kcms/detail?v=qZb0LZ5\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"https://t.cnki.net/kcms/detail?v=qZb0LZ5\" targettype=\"URL\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003eMm-JPXOfZpUC4RVrsT85qwzM1y1_xrlic3BsXES2f95GeOhuvIbDB6MzBIyB0kC_gQnDYeJ1wzRZUxPBNBpWHwsOP6xAxiIOXdvEDWxo3Wq316fRWxZ_KwAQ4\u0026amp;uniplatform=NZKPT\u0026amp;language=CHS.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWu J, Zhan Z. (1987). \u003cem\u003eThe relationship between grade, gender role, human orientation and empathy\u003c/em\u003e (Master\u0026rsquo;s Thesis). Institute of Education, National Chengchi University, Taiwan.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eXu W, Liu X, A Y. Research progress of mindfulness intervention in post-traumatic stress disorder. Chin J Clin Psychol. 2019;02:418\u0026ndash;23. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2019.02.043\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.16128/j.cnki.1005-3611.2019.02.043\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"psychological trauma, catastrophic event, emotional state, empathy, mindfulness, chain meditation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis study explored the relationship between attention, negative emotions, empathy, mindfulness, and psychological trauma in catastrophic events to reduce the public’s psychological trauma. A total of 526 adults in Guangxi Province, China, were investigated using a self-rating scale for post-traumatic stress disorder, a self-rating emotion scale, a self-rating empathy scale, a five-factor self-rating mindfulness scale, and a catastrophic incident concern questionnaire. The results show that: (1) women are vulnerable to psychological trauma in catastrophic events (F [464]=0.681, p\u0026lt;0.05); (2) emotion has a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma; (3) empathy has a significant mediating effect between attention and psychological trauma; and (4) mindfulness is conducive to buffering an individual’s negative emotions and also regulates the degree of psychological trauma in the public’s attention to catastrophic events. Therefore, people should be rational and restrained in the face of catastrophic events.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Please Show Restraint: An Excessive Focus on Catastrophic Events Can Lead to Greater Psychological Trauma","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2023-01-27 14:58:53","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-2482301/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d32dd61b-1ae5-4cbc-b2ca-415e8b8ec758","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 27th, 2023","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-02-16T17:09:00+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2023-01-27 14:58:53","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-2482301","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-2482301","identity":"rs-2482301","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"_2-kVJe1T_tPrBINL-cwx","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}